Refurb 27" i7 Arrived --- DOA

[jlblodgett]

I purchased a 27" i7 iMac from the Apple refurbished store last week. Shipping time was great - the iMac actually arrived on Tuesday the 16th. I have not had a chance to really get it set up until today...

Unboxed - everything looked amazing. No scratches. Nothing out of the ordinary. It is a truly beautiful machine. I have been using the Magic Mouse for a while - but the tiny keyboard is awesome.

Started it up - as soon as the desktop popped up --- fans buzzed like crazy. It sounded like my old air hockey table. I shut down. Did all the resets, PRAM, etc. Still sounds like it is ready to fly off my table. Installed the little fan doohickies -- it says my CPU fan is spinning at 3955 RPM and the temp is 70 degree F.

I ran the Apple Hardware Test -- error found. I called Apple. They were incredibly helpful and eager to assist. The nice young man on the phone went through several more tests with me. He gave me two options - take this machine to my local store or have them send me out another machine. Since I had barely even booted the machine up before the fans started buzzing like a jet plane - I elected a new machine.

Looking through the machine, it appears that it only came with 4 Gigs Ram and the 1 TB drive. I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones who got the memory/HD upgrade surprise. Oh well. On the bright side -- it does look like my machine had a great screen. I could not see any yellow effects -- not enough that it would have caused me concern, anyway.

I will look forward to the next machine.

 

[IndustrialSpace]

I thought Apple tested refurbs before they were sent out. I guess not.

Why must if feel like you're playing Russian Roulette when ordering an iMac??

 

[SoCalRich]

I purchased a 27" i7 iMac from the Apple refurbished store last week....

I will look forward to the next machine.

Sorry to hear that... This might have been the same one that I was looking at in the refurb store. I turned around and it was gone...

I also thought they were tested etc as per their statement from the referb store outlines. I had pretty much decided to buy refurb but now I wonder...

"[FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, all units undergo Apple's stringent quality refurbishment process.

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product: [/FONT]

• [FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]
  [*]is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
  [*]is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
  [*]is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
  [*]is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
  [*]includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
  [*]is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
  [*]is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.[/FONT]

[FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.


(2) What should I expect when I purchase an Apple Certified Refurbished Product? [/FONT]

• [FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]
  [*]Substantial savings
  [*]A fully functional unit with complete documentation
  [*]The assurance that the unit meets Apple's premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components[/FONT]

[FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial][/FONT]

 

[Jason Beck]

Sorry to hear that... This might have been the same one that I was looking at in the refurb store. I turned around and it was gone...

I also thought they were tested etc as per their statement from the referb store outlines. I had pretty much decided to buy refurb but now I wonder...

"[FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, all units undergo Apple's stringent quality refurbishment process.

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product: [/FONT]

• [FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]
  [*]is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
  [*]is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
  [*]is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
  [*]is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
  [*]includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
  [*]is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
  [*]is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.[/FONT]

[FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.


(2) What should I expect when I purchase an Apple Certified Refurbished Product? [/FONT]

• [FONT=helvetica,geneva,arial]
  [*]Substantial savings
  [*]A fully functional unit with complete documentation
  [*]The assurance that the unit meets Apple's premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components[/FONT]

Exactly. They'll take care of him. That sucks bro!
Jeeze.. I never bought anything DOA.. welllllll I think a Geforce
5400 PCI card aeons ago when I was in high school. LOL

 

[IndustrialSpace]

I think that refurb policy is a bunch of nonsense. There have been several instances of defective or DOA refurbs received.

 

[Hellhammer]

I think that refurb policy is a bunch of nonsense. There have been several instances of defective or DOA refurbs received.

True, I doubt they actually even check them, especially with these new 27"s because they get so many returns. Luckily the warranty and return policy and time is the same.

Hopefully your next one will be flawless!

 

[IndustrialSpace]

True, I doubt they actually even check them, especially with these new 27"s because they get so many returns. Luckily the warranty and return policy and time is the same.

Hopefully your next one will be flawless!

I doubt a human sits there running tests. Most likely, they run an automated diagnostic depending on the reason for the return.

The more I read up on this stuff, the more I'm convinced that they actually push these things out in hopes the next customer wont complain and end up keeping it. I mean, these returns are not being sent to the junk yard.

 

[Zmmin3]

I have a whole thread devoted to the problems that I had with trying to get a good refurb. I went through 4.
#4 being good one...or so I thought After just two months of having it, the hard drive crashed and needed replaced and now its currently back in the apple shop because the cd/dvd optical drive(thats barely used) is broken...not even a year of owning it.

 

[jlblodgett]

I have a whole thread devoted to the problems that I had with trying to get a good refurb. I went through 4.
#4 being good one...or so I thought After just two months of having it, the hard drive crashed and needed replaced and now its currently back in the apple shop because the cd/dvd optical drive(thats barely used) is broken...not even a year of owning it.

You are far more patient than I am.

I am going to give this next refurbished a chance. If it has any problems - I'm going to ask for a refund and just keep plugging along with my 2007 MacBook which has never given me a single problem (knock on wood).

 

[goldenpiggy]

I've bought 6 refurbs from Apple Store over the years. Out of those, a 17" iMac had a dead ethernet port, and a MacBook didn't even boot up. Both ended up with a logic board replacement. Makes we wonder what kind of testing they do if the machine doesn't even come up. All of the machines looked brand-new. Who knows, maybe if it looks new, they just put it into inventory without testing. BTW, all of my refurb purchases shipped out of the Sacramento depot.

Unless I get a truly killer deal when sales tax is added, I prefer not to deal with Apple refurbs to save a few bucks. You can go on eBay and with eBay bucks, Bing cashback, and no tax, come pretty darn close to Apple refurb prices but get a new machine.

 

[raysfan81]

Good luck with your next one!

 

[SoCalRich]

....BTW, all of my refurb purchases shipped out of the Sacramento depot.

Unless I get a truly killer deal when sales tax is added, I prefer not to deal with Apple refurbs to save a few bucks. You can go on eBay and with eBay bucks, Bing cashback, and no tax, come pretty darn close to Apple refurb prices but get a new machine.

+1 Sacramento eh... Now I know for sure I won't be buying a referb.

 

[jlblodgett]

Received my replacement refurbished i7 today.

This machine looks brand new. The Magic Mouse still has the protective strips over the rails on the bottom. The paper cover was still sealed.

The machine is very nice, runs quiet, the monitor looks great, etc. I am very pleased. This is a week 11 machine according to the serial number.

Now comes the process of transferring everything over...

 

[unixfool]

Received my replacement refurbished i7 today.

This machine looks brand new. The Magic Mouse still has the protective strips over the rails on the bottom. The paper cover was still sealed.

The machine is very nice, runs quiet, the monitor looks great, etc. I am very pleased. This is a week 11 machine according to the serial number.

Now comes the process of transferring everything over...

Nice to hear!

 

[SaSaSushi]

Received my replacement refurbished i7 today.

This machine looks brand new. The Magic Mouse still has the protective strips over the rails on the bottom. The paper cover was still sealed.

The machine is very nice, runs quiet, the monitor looks great, etc. I am very pleased. This is a week 11 machine according to the serial number.

Now comes the process of transferring everything over...

Great to hear!!

About the serial number, I'm pretty sure Apple reissues numbers for refurbs so that is likely not indicative of it's actual week of manufacture but rather when it was certified a refurbished machine.

Enjoy it!